C:tL – Eyes on Fire: Session 7

I neglected to mention this in the write-ups, but Paul has frequently had his sleep disrupted by his fetch visiting in his dreams.

The warehouse fire is being investigated. Nora seems to have disappeared. Shimmer begins an investigation into Martin Ten-Bones and his suspicious visits with Nora. Martin Ten-Bones flees Portland. The ukeleles are forever silenced.

Boss Hogg approached Uile about getting some goblin fruits. He usually relies upon the Bridge Market but that was cancelled this year. He heard rumors that Uile had gone into the Hedge despite Nettle’s orders and was wondering if Uile could do it again. Uile goes to Nettle to discuss the stupidity of her closing the Hedge. Uile finds her chained to a tree, protesting in a local park. She, and the people around her, insist that she has been tied to this tree for several days. Uile fails to convince her.

Yes, Nettle is just giving herself an alibi for the warehouse fire. Not that it was her. Nope.

Darby has been investigating Paul’s fetch for him. With the information from Shimmer, she is able to stalk out his place of business – he works as a security guard at a corporate facility. She makes eyes at him until he agrees to go on a date with her. She notices that he seems to be eating a goblin fruit.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group hides out in Paul’s fetch’s apartment. When Darby returns with him from their date, the group jumps him in the living room. Paul brought his hammer and as he hits his fetch over and over, he flashes back to memories from Arcadia – of him forging his own fetch.

Eventually, the fetch is dead. Paul gathers the remaining pieces (since they crumble into their component elements when they die) and the group heads out to a bar to celebrate. Paul feels the pieces of his fetch growing hot, so he throws them into the back of his truck as they go into the bar.

After a goodly round of libations, Paul notices that his truck seems to be moving up and down, as if something was shifting around in the truck bed. He goes outside to investigate and discovers a giant lion made of flames and metal shake itself free from the remains of Paul’s fetch. This is the Lord of Fire’s Hearth, the Lion Whose Roar is the Dawn, Paul’s Keeper from Arcadia.

Everyone panics.

The Lion terrifies everyone at the bar, causing several fires as he paces around. He thanks Paul for freeing him from his chains and exalts in his new-found freedom in this world. He calls for “the Others” to join him.

It begins to snow. A white and blue woman descends from the clouds. This is The Dirge Unsinging, Darby’s Keeper. She proclaims an end to this world and closes the Hedge so that there is “no escape.”

Everyone continues to panic.

Trees and shadows grow ominous in the parking lot. Whispers from the trees let Uile know that his Keeper, The Writer of Fates, has arrived as well. He strips “the Masques away so that truth will be revealed.” The Changelings discover that they now resemble their true forms and can no longer hide themselves amongst humanity.

This causes more panic as monsters are revealed to be within the bar.

Webbing begins to appear on the corners of buildings and strung up between telephone poles. A cloaked figure with only mandibles showing within the voluminous hood steps into the parking lot. This is the Grey Huntsman, Dani’s Keeper. He proclaims this as a realm of hunters and the hunted and commands everyone to run. They oblige.

Paul calls Nettle and lets her know that the Gentry are here. She tells them to meet her at the park where she is currently chained to a tree. Paul also calls Matthew, who promises to meet them there.

When they arrive at the park where Nettle was, they find that the rioting has already begun. Nettle and those she could gather have taken refuge in a walk-in clinic that they have barricaded. The PCs join the surviving Changelings as they watch the snow begin to accumulate.

So, that happened. The italicized comments here were getting very long, so I’m actually going to move them into a separate post. So, I guess look forward to when I explain what the hell I was thinking.